Avid Readers Make the Best Writers

One comment I’ve heard from countless authors is, ‘I have no time to read anymore.’ This is a sad state, because the moment a writer stops reading they stop learning how to write.

Many of today’s writers believe they do not need a basic understanding of the classics to become published. It is so hard to explain why they need to understand the classics.

Who better than Dickens to teach character development? Can anyone number the number of today’s bestsellers follow the Jane Eyre story arc? What about a writer who can challenge our basic morality and ideals as well as Shakespeare did?

More than 3000 students have passed though my courses in the last five years. In that time, I’ve learned one thing, ‘Avid readers make the best writers.’

Publishers know this. They constantly beg writers to read the bestsellers in their genre, and study the publishing house’s recent releases before they submit. At Enspiren Press, we are constantly asking authors to read our recent releases.

Yes, we will accept a book with run-on sentences, and even some questionable grammar styles, as long as the story is well-told, is built on a strong structure, and which studies today’s social issues. Even our fantasies and historical novels are built on strong character development and social issues.

Unfortunately, many new writers feel that reading publisher’s recent releases is nothing more than a money grab, a weak attempt to sell books.

Not true.

There is a lot to learn from published books, especially the bestsellers. The first lesson is that book writing is not an exercise in vanity for authors. The fundamental purpose of a book lies in one thing – the reader.

The bestsellers are, in fact, bestsellers, for one reason. They gave the reader, exactly what they want.

The genres were born from the realization that readers like to read the same types of stories, share a story with the same character types, and experience the same thrills, escapism, and entertainment in each book.

Of course, they like their stories wrapped in a variety of plots and themes, settings and ears, social classes, and conflicts. Each genre has a slightly different grammar style and vocabulary. The stories are built around different premises. And, there are varying levels of narration, introspection, monologue, dialogue, and tension.

I am asked weekly what grammar style is used in today’s fiction. Writers want to know what percentage of narration is allowed, when it is permissible to use passive writing, and how to structure Point of View. Unfortunately, I cannot answer this. Not because I do not have an answer, but because the answer is different in each genre.

So, next time you want to improve your writing skills, pick up a current bestseller from the same genre as the manuscript you’re writing.